U.S. Immigration Policy Program
The U.S. Immigration Policy Program provides thought leadership on ways to improve the U.S. immigration system so that it works most effectively in the national interest. To that end, its work focuses on immigration pathways to the United States and immigration enforcement policies and their impacts. It examines the complex demographic, economic, social, political, foreign policy, and other forces that shape U.S. immigration.
Program staff produce data and analyses of immigration trends and the characteristics of U.S. immigrant populations, including unauthorized immigrants. And they conduct original research on the impacts of policy change and the experiences of immigrant populations in diverse parts of the country. This work is frequently informed by private convenings of policymakers and key stakeholders. For more, click here.
The Latest Research
U.S. Deportations and “Self-Deportations” in the First 18 Months of the Second Trump Term
Filling a gap amid a slowdown in official data reporting from the federal government, this analysis offers a window into deportation and "self…
Featured
Physicians in an Era of Changing Immigration Policy: The Case of Nephrology
The care of kidney disease in the United States relies heavily on international medical graduates (IMGs). Recent policy changes could deepen…
Temporary Visa Holders in the United States
The number of U.S. temporary visas plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, rebounded, and then fell again in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Preliminary data…
Following Years of High Border Arrivals, the U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Hits New Peak
MPI estimates the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population reached a new peak of 15.8 million as of mid-2024, after holding steady at around 11 million…
More Featured Work
From Counterterrorism to Immigration Enforcement: 25 Years On, Post-9/11 U.S. Changes Have Been Repointed
Post-9/11 national security tools have been repurposed for immigration, expanding the U.S. government’s capacity for surveillance, data sharing, and…
Attacked as "De Facto Amnesty," U.S. Temporary Protected Status Is Abruptly Eroded
The Trump administration moved to terminate most of the 17 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations in place when its second term began,…
Though Rare, Birth Tourism to the United States Sparks Outsized Concern
While rare, birth tourism has become a central but contested justification in the Trump administration's push to end the guarantee of birthright…
Key Statistics
Learn more about immigrants and immigration to the United States
14.8%
The immigrant share of the total U.S. population
Learn how this share has evolved (opens in a new tab)50.2 million
The number of immigrants in the United States
Explore Data Profiles by State (opens in a new tab)18.4%
The share of workers in the U.S. civilian labor force who are immigrants
Get the data at U.S. and state levels (opens in a new tab)Showing 581–590 of 824 results
Long-Term Impact of the Supreme Court Ruling on Key Provision of Arizona's SB 1070 May Hinge on Political Calculus
Whatever the U.S. Supreme Court rules on SB 1070, the long-term impact may depend less on law than on who wins the November presidential election.
ICE's Long-Awaited Detention Reform Prompts Questions from Supporters and Detractors
U.S. immigration detention reforms announced in early 2012 drew criticism from both conservatives and immigrant advocates.
The Development and Fiscal Effects of Emigration on Mexico
Mexico's fiscal balance benefits from emigration—GDP rose 8.8 percent and tax collection 7.4 percent between 1990 and 2000, driven by remittances and labor market effects.
Bipartisan Measures Urge Use of a Temporary Worker Program to Admit Irish Immigrants
Bipartisan U.S. measures earmarking E-3 temporary worker visas for Irish nationals reflect a congressional turn toward targeted, standalone immigration bills.
Questions Arise with Implementation of Obama Administration's New Prosecutorial Discretion Policy
An Obama administration policy to deprioritize certain removals is the first to require a comprehensive review of the roughly 300,000 pending immigration court cases.
Prosecutorial Discretion: A Progress Report on Implementing New Guidelines and Policies
A discussion on the use of prosecutorial discretion and the review by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of all current cases in the removal pipeline and on the docket of immigration courts, with U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Deputy General Counsel; the Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review in the U.S. Department of Justice; and ICE's Director of Field Legal Operations in the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor.
Doris Meissner discusses U.S. Immigration Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner discusses U.S. immigration policy during the Fireside Forum on Foreign Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The other participants are Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera and Douglas Savage, Assistant Director of the Institute of World Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Supreme Court to Decide Fate of Arizona's SB 1070
In December 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court took up Arizona's SB 1070, with Justice Elena Kagan's expected recusal raising the prospect of a tie vote.
At Its 25th Anniversary, IRCA's Legacy Lives On
The 1986 immigration overhaul legalized millions of unauthorized immigrants but helped fuel an unauthorized population that reached 12 million by 2007.
Eleventh Circuit Ruling on Alabama's HB 56 Fuels Debate over the Limits of State Immigration Measures
A split appeals court ruling on Alabama's HB 56 deepened the courts’ divide over state immigration enforcement, making Supreme Court review increasingly likely.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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